UNMISS | United Nations Mission in South Sudan



28 May 2015

Good afternoon its 1 o’clock I’m David Lukan

The Headlines

• Call for freedom: Civil society demands release of detained pastors in Khartoum

• Agriculture Minister solicits help to transport tractors

AND

• Over 500 families displaced by conflict stranded in the swamps of Jonglei

Civil society has petitioned the Ministry of foreign affairs over the detention of two South Sudanese pastors in Khartoum.

The civil society groups want the Ministry to contact the Sudanese government to release the pastors within 72 hours – which ends today. 

Santino Mayen Agok, a spokesperson for the civil society says they want the trial stopped. 

Clip ……………………….. Santino Mayen Agok –pastors 1

“We asked the Foreign affairs for the release of the two Pastors within 72 hours  and to stop this trial by security intelligence  in collaboration with the Sudanese Judiciary. Those two citizens are subject to a fully sovereign state there must be must be a settlement Such as exemption or transferred to South Sudan then the Judiciary will look into if the invitation to the pastors from the other  religious sect  in Sudan is it true or were smuggled ? They left from here under Sudanese responsibility and we as citizens of South Sudan will monitor and will not ignore it but will go further if the Sudanese Embassy did not react will go up to UN.”

Rev. Ayad Michael and Rev Peter Yen - currently in detention in Khartoum have had their trial postponed indefinitely.  Rev. Michael is accused of criticizing the Sudanese government, while Rev Yen was locked up in January after he questioned the detention of his colleague.  The two pastors of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church were charged in March and face a possible death sentence. 

Meanwhile, members of the civil society have visited injured soldiers at Juba military hospital.  Accompanied by traders, the activists handed over food items, including bulls in a show of solidarity. Spokesperson, Santino Mayen Agok calls for the protection of civilians during conflict. 

Clip…………………….Santino Mayen Agok – protection 2

“We as alliance our society roles towards peace, we raised our voice for protection of civilians and maintain security in Malakal and all concern places.  Civil society organizations are requesting for protection of civilians in conflict areas and to take the battles far from residents in villages or near IDPs camps. There must be an awareness for the soldiers on the importance of protection of civilians and we asked also that the Civil society and other International organizations to investigate on the recent incidents.”

The Ministry of Agriculture is soliciting the support of development partners to move tractors to the states.  The 1,000 tractors recently unveiled by President Salva Kiir are in Juba, awaiting distribution to farmers. 

While releasing the National food security report in Juba yesterday, Agriculture Minister Beda Machar asked the development partners to step in and assist with distribution. 

Clip………………….Beda Machar tractors 3

“I appeal to you all the development partners to work with me and my team, we need to move these tractors to the state should there be any support that you can also render because the same people whom you are supporting and we are supporting in the rural area are the same people we are also supporting with our programs, these tractors will make our work very easy, we will keep our population busy it will keep our population working it will keep our population instead of working from the rural area to town now they will start to move from town to rural areas because production is going to be very high”

The report forecasts that an estimated 4.6 million people will become severely food insecure between May and July this year, and that the situation has been made worse by the economic crisis that has reduced stocks and diminished purchasing powers.  

A section of Parliamentarians in Uganda is calling for the withdrawal of Ugandan troops from South Sudan. 

The soldiers were deployed shortly after the start of the crisis in December 2013, however some MPs in the defence and security committee in the Ugandan Parliament says the venture is becoming too costly for the Ugandan taxpayer. 

Defence Minister Dr. Chrispus Koyonga informed the MPs that the deployment is in the interest of regional security. 

Ofwono Opondo, a Ugandan government spokesperson says the views represent only one or two MPs.

Clip……………………..Ofwono Opondo 4

“If there are one or two voices, that cannot be the Ugandan Parliament.  UPDF will continue to stay in South Sudan because of the very reason we went there for, one, to guard our own national security interest and defence, secondly because we are in South Sudan under a bilateral agreement with the government of South Sudan under Salva Kiir.  Three, Uganda is under IGAD which agreed that there’re should be an IGAD peace enforcement force.  So until that force is created and deployed, the UPDF will continue to stay in South Sudan because we cannot leave a vacuum.  So muted discontent in the Parliament of Ugandan of 2 or 3, or even if they are 10 – cannot be the position of the Uganda Parliament.”

Troop deployment in South Sudan has cost the Ugandan tax payer up to 119 billion Uganda shillings, which is about 40 million US dollars.

You are listening to Radio Miraya News

In Lakes state, communities of Dor payam, in Awerial County have received a new borehole – to address the scarcity of water in the area.  The people of Dor have been facing serious challenges of accessing clean and safe water.  The new borehole was drilled with support of the UN mission – UNMISS.  The community members we spoke to, said the new hand pump will go a long way in improving the quality of their lives. 

Clip…………………..Vox pop Awerial 5

“This type of hand hump that you brought here to this community is very nice because is delivering very clean water to this community That is why I give you more appreciation, if there is any kind of help please make sure and help.”

“Mingkaman is a village like this people need to come and see what they are challenges within the area because borehole sometime when you cannot maintain it , it can damaged and can cause some diseases which cannot be curable. Number two we are going to create to make fence around in which the cow and goats cannot destroy the block so this is other step which we are going to discuss when we are setting collection of cost sharing, it is very important because when the borehole broken down so the money should be used for repairing rather than borehole remain there without function.

The new borehole has saved women the burden of having to walk long distances in search of water. 

Awerial county local government inspector, John Mayom has told the people to put the hand pump to good use, and stop sourcing water from ponds and other unclean sources.

Clip………………….John Deng Mayom 6

“I want to assure the community to take care and use the borehole, even though it is one that one can be uses it well to last for long and they should not make careless, so when every you are using this type of borehole well you will not get any type of diseases because there are some boreholes which are getting rusting and for this one is not rusting and you have to take care of about  it and now some even are getting water from pool, they are drinking and I want to assure  you the community that please you have to take the water from the borehole because of some the Water which are in side pool have some diseases like  guinea worm , typhoid which are inside the water.”

Still in Lakes State, authorities have failed to reach an agreement with traders in Mingkaman, Awerial County over commodity prices. 

County authorities had hoped that they could convince the traders to reduce the cost of some of their items, after public complaints.

The traders’ chairperson, Ibraham Yarman Mamhed however says they could not accept the new prices suggested by the authorities, because high inflation and a lack of dollars is making it difficult to run their businesses. 

Clip…………… Ibraham Yarman Mamhed 7

“The pricing for a bag of sugar was 325, and a bag of bean was 300 pounds. And the people here thought this will make lose, so we could not reach an agreement. But thank God the government knows that prices in Juba and prices here in Awerial are higher, and this is not because of traders or the government, everything is expensive everywhere, so they allow us to charge with our first pricing.”

Awerial County town clerk, David Manyiel Lueth says the traders have doubled their prices – making it difficult for the citizens to afford basic items. 

Clip……………..David Manyiel Lueth 8

“I asked them, the prices of Juba like bag of green bean there in Juba is selling three sixty and here in Awerial is six hundred so I talk to them to make it to be four hundred so therefore, the prices which I give to them to work it they refused   , they says the problem of Dollar is become a problem in Juba so we cannot accept the prices of new prices so just now we are just stuck in that prices , they said that bag must be six hundred and then sugar must be five hundred and fifty and it is not good to compare buying with selling price so the condition is now very treble.”

University students in Jonglei have launched a program to reach at least 500 families stranded in swamps. 

The outreach program will see the students of the Dr John Garang University locate the families and facilitate aid delivery. 

The students are working in collaboration with Save the Children, Intersos and the Norwegian Refugee Council. 

David Malual, the dean of the College of Education explains the project to radio Miraya.

Clip……………………….David Malual 9

“In this program we are trying to serve the people who are not actually reachable now, along the Nile, people who are in swampy areas. We found over three hundred people, the children look healthy, but they are facing a lot of challenges, they use the running water from the Nile, they do not have any education facility, they don’t have, no medical centers, so when one is sick, maybe transported between six to seven hours”

The 500 families fled to the bushes and swamps for safety after the break out of war in December 2013. 

A local youth organsiation, set on empowering and increasing opportunities for youth has been launched in Juba.

The Youth Technology Development Organization established in 2013 was officially launched on Wednesday.

The organization provides opportunities for youth to engage in vocational training to acquire skills needed to give them a head start in life.

Alison Amule Soro, one of the students, speaks of the invaluable opportunity being offered by the organization.

Clip…………………….. Amule Soro 10

“There are many youths that are just they are school dropout, they are not doing other Jobs,I think that motivated me that I should come to YTDO to do computer and repairs and maintainence,so that one day i will establish myself to start making money for myself as a youths. it also give people who are drop out from school earn life and this will reduces the high crime rates that is going around in Juba.also self-employment, youths will be employed, they will employ themselves to do and earn money according to what they want, and this will meet their own personal needs and this will also reduce may be seeking jobs to be blaming people of not giving us jobs, so we have to create for ourselves and this the only thing that motivated me.”

The Youth Technology Development Organization was established by the Ministry of Telecommunications and postal services and is supported by UN cultural and scientific organization UNESCO

And, FIFA is facing its biggest scandal, as the world football governing body is the scrutiny of two corruption investigations.

Seven top officials were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday, among a group of 14 people indicted.

The officials are accused by the US State department of money laundering, racketeering and taking large bribes to influence decisions.

Swiss prosecutors have also opened a separate investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.

The investigations come just 3 days before FIFA President elections - in which incumbent President Sepp Blatter will be seeking a 5th term.

To end the news, here are the headlines once again

• Call for freedom: Civil society demands release of detained pastors in Khartoum

• Agriculture Minister solicits help to transport tractors

AND

• Over 500 families displaced by conflict stranded in the swamps of Jonglei

And that’s Radio Miraya News.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download